Department of Sociology and Social Research, Milan-Bicocca University, Italy

The Department of Sociology and Social Research is the leading department for the study of urban society and change in Northern Italy, with substantial experience in the coordination of national and international projects and networks and a strong commitment to comparative and interdisciplinary approaches. Several research laboratories, observatories and archives provide support for the research carried out: of relevance here are ADPSS-Sociodata (Data Archive for Social Sciences), Cities (Observatory on the Quality of Urban Life), Perimetro (Metropolitan Suburbs Laboratory) and LSV (Visual Sociology Laboratory). These centres are coordinated by LabSMA (Laboratory for the Study of Advanced Metropolitan Societies). The Department runs a European Ph.D. Programme on Urban and Local European Studies (URBEUR) and one of the 14 Italian projects for advanced training and research (QUA_SI, Quality of Life in the Information Society). Jointly with the Polytechnic of Milan, the Department operates an inter-university centre for time-space analysis. Advisory activity on urban policy is carried out on a regular basis for local, regional and national governments, public housing agencies, business and trade unions, the voluntary sector, and civil society associations etc. The principal research areas of the Department are urban regeneration policy and practice, labour markets, employment and training, social policies, urban governance, neighbourhood change and social cohesion, strategies of social inclusion, social economy, space-time and society, mobility, access, quality and safety of public spaces.